Senior Process Engineer

At Hilmar Cheese Company we improve lives around the world through wholesome dairy products. Since our founding in 1984, Hilmar Cheese Company has been committed to innovation and sustainability. Our state-of-the art production facilities convert an abundance of locally sourced high-quality milk into a variety of nutritious cheeses, whey protein and lactose. The Cheese and Ingredients that we produce create a wide variety of retail and food service products from sliced and shredded cheeses, to protein supplements and infant formula. We are a trusted partner to premier food and beverage brands in for than fifty countries helping bring their vision into reality.

Throughout our decades of success and growth we have remained committed to our mission and values and these principles unite our people and guide all that we do.

A Typical Day

The Senior Process Engineer is responsible for supporting the Company’s strategic objectives through development of the optimum, most cost-effective process technologies used to manufacture Hilmar’s products to enhance profitability, market position, and growth. This position will provide subject matter expertise on Process Engineering aspects of the manufacturing process: maximizing productivity, reducing operating costs, and improving process sustainability through energy and water usage reduction. Though the understanding of engineering and technology, the Senior Process Engineer drives the continuous improvement of Hilmar Cheese processes by providing short and long term direction for technical investment. The position will support the whole enterprise as well as specialize in a specific manufacturing area, CIP/sanitation systems, or utility systems.

Job Responsibilities

• Be a critical owner and contributor to cross-functional site Productivity teams by using end-to-end thinking and delivering Process Engineering solutions company-wide.
• Lead troubleshooting of complex operational issues to find win:win solutions that balance multiple KPIs and optimize total cost of ownership.
• Effectively collaborate with both internal and external stakeholders on cross-functional project teams, providing subject matter expertise to obtain desired technical and operational Project outcomes.
• Design and lead strategic technology initiatives and Programs using Project Management methodologies.
• Ability to coach, mentor, and deliver technical training to others while also directly managing specific areas of work with a hands-on approach where necessary.
• Maintain and contribute content to Hilmar’s knowledge base; Technology best practices for Manufacturing, Sanitation, Utility, and/or Water Reclamation processes.
• Stay up to date on latest available technologies, industry direction, and trends to continuously improve HCC’s technology portfolio and roadmaps

What You Will Need

• B.S. in Chemical, Biochemical, or Environmental Engineering, or related field plus 5 years’ manufacturing experience, or M.S. in Chemical, Biochemical, or Environmental Engineering, or related field plus 3 years’ manufacturing experience
• Ability to complete mass and energy balances and collect and analyze production data using statistical techniques
• Ability to effectively summarize and present technical information to a variety of audiences
• Ability to develop operational models of plant processes
• Ability to connect the dots between multiple plant processes to arrive at optimized solutions
• Experience with writing functional descriptions of physical processes
• Certification or direct experience with Problem Solving methodologies (ex: Root Cause Analysis)
• MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint at intermediate level

What Will Put You Ahead

• B.S. in Chemical, Biochemical, or Environmental Engineering, or related field plus 7 years’ manufacturing experience, or M.S. in Chemical, Biochemical, or Environmental Engineering, or related field plus 5 years’ manufacturing experience
• 3+ years’ experience with process optimization in the Food and/or Dairy industry
• Experience with clean-in-place (CIP) system design and operational principles
• Knowledge of wastewater treatment systems in the dairy industry
• Knowledge of integrated water reclamation/reuse within a manufacturing facility
• Project Management certifications, such as PMP or CAPM
• Experience with process modeling software
• Experience with statistical analysis software
• Leadership and teambuilding skills

Physical Demands & Work Environment

The work is primarily